Consolidation in Organic Agriculture - CCOF

what it’s supposed to, but at some pointthere was a split. The Irish imported thetradition of Jack-o-Lanterns, which theyhad previously carved from turnips andpotatoes but (for obvious reasons) switchedto the pumpkin upon arriving in America.This has come to be the new definition of apumpkin—smooth and bright orange,with thin skin and thick seeds. We still eatsome pumpkins, but most often they arebred for October’s non-culinary needs.Meanwhile, all the rest have been renamed“winter squashes.” But these are the onesthat really serve us, with thick, creamy fleshthat we eat baked, stuffed, pureed, and—itturns out—in pies. Buy a can of “pumpkin”in the supermarket or a pie for dessert, and itwill actually be Boston Marrow, Delicious,or another C. maxima — just like at the firstThanksgiving.GROWINGWinter squash is such an important ceremonialfood throughout the cultures ofNorth America that it’s hard to believeEuropeans hardly eat it. It’s not that thevegetable couldn’t travel that far (greenbeans and potatoes, for instance, are alsonative to the Americas); the problem wasthat it couldn’t flourish there. Zucchiniand other summer squash grow quicklyand therefore do not suffer in, rather prefer,humid conditions. But because wintersquash sit on the ground for weeks, maturingand then hardening, excess moisturediscolors the skin and can cause rot. Theygrow for up to 20 weeks and can only germinatein warm soil, and so require a reliablylong, hot, dry summer.Once the right climate is found, wintersquash is best planted on fertile soil highin organic matter. Not only does this supplythe plant’s nutritional needs, theorganic matter retains water and so meansless frequent watering. This spurs the vineto send down deeper roots (four-feet-longin some varieties), a search that actuallystrengthens the plant and lends the fruita richer, sweeter flavor.When growing in the right place, there’snot much that harms winter squash—except for the cucumber beetle. As with allCucurbits, every part of the plant—vines,More to Life than ButternutShoppers might be attracted to the winter squash display by its variety, but theyusually end up buying Butternut. To be fair, it is a reliable, all-purpose base forsoups, stuffing and pies. But considering how many things a squash can be—nutty, melony, slippery, creamy—it’s worth taking a trip off the beaten butternut path.Here are some recommendations from several fine purveyors of winter squash from theSan Rafael Civic Center Farmers’ Market.• Sweet Dumpling: “The kids’ favorite—this and Delicata—because you just slice itin half, bake it, and eat it right from the shell.”• Long Island Cheese: “Big, round, and beige—like the love child of a butternut anda pumpkin. Good all-purpose squash for pies and soups and such, a lot like a Butternut.Restaurants really like this variety, probably because the big, heavy squashgive so much meat.”• Kabocha: “A Japanese variety with a bright orange flesh and super nutty flavor. TheRed Cup is the American version. Some say Red Cup is creamier, but I think theonly difference is shape: Kabocha is round like a pumpkin, Red Cup square at theedges.”• Red Kuri: “It looks like a primeval pumpkin. The taste is similar to Kabocha, butstarchier. Lately I’ve been mixing the two for a Red Kuri-Kabocha-ginger-Serranopepper soup.”• Acorn: “Wonderful sweetness. But then, you see it everywhere. I’d try one that’s alittle more adventurous.”• Cinderella: “The meat gets really thick, even four inches on the big ones. Somepeople cut out the top, carve out most of the meat, but leave the shell intact.When they’ve made their squash soup, they pour it back in and use the shellas a serving bowl.”• Ghirardell: “From New Zealand. This one has beautiful, bright orange flesh anda taste that’s very melon/cucumbery. Nice and heavy; a good stuffer.”• Triple Treat: “It’s technically a squash, but it looks like a pumpkin. It even has bigseeds like a pumpkin; that’s why it’s called ‘Triple Treat’: because you can eat thethin skin, the meaty flesh, and the roasted seeds.”• Spaghetti: “Yes, it’s true, you can bake or steam this squash then run a forkthrough it and use the stringy flesh like pasta. Toss it with parmesan cheese,tomato sauce, pesto—whatever makes sense.”• Cream of the Crop: “Light skin, very pale flesh. Actually, kind of bland, but a nicetable decoration.”foliage, flowers, fruit—attracts the little yellowinsect. They can decimate a youngstand overnight and strip enough skin off anearly mature fruit to make it defective.Non-organic growers use relatively fewchemicals on winter squash, but most ofthose they do use go to combat the cucumberbeetle. The top choice is the pyrethroidesfenvalerate. It is preferable to chemicalslike endosulfan and carbaryl, which are usedin higher-value crops such as melons. Butpyrethroids do substantial damage, particularlyto the beneficial insects that might otherwisecontrol the pests in squash andneighboring plantings. (Conventional growerscannot spray until fruit-set, for esfenvalerateis highly toxic to the honeybeesthey rely on for pollination.) Pyrethroids arehighly toxic to fish and amphibians, and aresuspected endocrine disrupters (think: fishwith multiple sex organs or organs frommultiple sexes). Finally, they contain chlorine,which helps them stick around in thesoil for a long time.All the pyrethroids are actually perversemimics of the natural insecticide withinthe chrysanthemum plant, pyrethrum.Organic growers can use this on the beetles,but again, by killing insects bad andgood, it subtracts from the total ecosystemthat makes an organic farm work in thefirst place. Phil Foster of Pinnacle Brandin San Juan Bautista instead goes strictlyfor physical combat. When he knows theWinter 2003–2004 Page 17